The outskirts of Uruk, an agricultural district.
Here, well-developed irrigation systems and fertile soil ensured that the crops produced were more than enough to sustain Uruk.
Under the rule of the great King of Uruk, famine was unheard of.
Suddenly, a farmer tending to the crops looked up at the sun in confusion.
"Why is it getting hotter today?"
But this heat felt unnatural—not radiating from the sky, but surging from the south like a wave.
Turning his gaze southward, he saw the air itself distorting in the distance.
Squinting, he noticed something wrong with the crops—their color was darkening, withering.
His pupils shrank as he spotted smoke rising in some areas, followed by flames.
"W-what's happening?!"
The next moment, a scorching heatwave slammed into him, nearly suffocating him with its intensity.
The surrounding crops withered under the terrifying heat.
Then, in his field of vision, he saw something monstrous charging toward them.
"A bull?"
It appeared to be a bull, one of unprecedented size.
As the beast drew nearer, the surrounding temperature rose dramatically.
Not only that, but the very earth seemed to tremble with each of its thunderous steps.
After several confirmations, it became clear that this monstrous bull was the source of the abnormal heat.
Soldiers attempted to stop it, but none could stand against the creature.
Before they could even lay hands on it, they were drenched in sweat, collapsing from heat exhaustion within moments.
Atop the ziggurat of Uruk's temple, a figure who seemed to sense something approached the entrance.
Gazing beyond the distant walls, they saw billowing clouds of smoke rising.
It seemed the legendary Bull of Heaven had truly been unleashed.
"What's happening? Are we under attack?"
"Isn't that the agricultural district?"
"Are they setting fires? What are the guards doing?"
The murmuring elders fell silent as the figure raised a hand for calm.
Descending from the temple, they boarded a waiting chariot and raced toward the smoke-filled southern gate.
Before reaching the city walls, frantic soldiers came running with reports.
"That—that can't be the mythical Bull of Heaven, Gugalanna? The divine beast of Anu, the sky god!"
"Has Ishtar petitioned Anu to bring divine punishment upon us?"
"It will bring drought to the land!"
Upon reaching the ramparts, many trembled at the sight of the rampaging beast withering crops and scorching the earth. Some even fell to their knees.
"It's Goddess Ishtar's wrath! We must kneel and beg for—"
Beg for what?
A flash of steel severed the speaker's head, sending it rolling across the ground.
"Kneel, and this will be your fate."
Those crimson slitted eyes burned like malevolent stars in the night, making the nobles quail and straighten their bent knees.
"Answer me—who made Uruk prosper and grow mighty these past years?"
Spreading his arms, the king addressed his soldiers with a royal proclamation.
All eyes focused on him.
"It—it was you, my king!"
"King of Uruk!"
"King Gilgamesh!"
The swelling chorus became a roaring tide as countless soldiers shouted their king's name.
"Indeed—it was I. No divine revelation or heavenly... brought you this prosperity. It was achieved by human hands—my hands. And now the gods send this beast to destroy what we built!"
The soldiers fell silent, some beginning to tremble—not with fear, but rage.
"Know why? Because the goddess—no, the whore Ishtar—had the gall to demand I become her slave! And of course, I spurned the bitch!"
At these words, the soldiers stirred again—not in panic, but righteous fury.
"...Do you understand now? This is what so-called gods truly are. If they were truly benevolent deities, would they demand sacrifices from us?...Have you ever actually seen these gods give us anything?...A being that requires us to surrender our dignity, our freedom, our very selves before offering protection—can such a thing truly be called a god? Tell me, does this deserve to be called a god?"
"No, it doesn't!"
"No!"
"Absolutely not!"
"Then what are they? Tell me!"
"They're evil gods! Demons!"
In an instant, countless soldiers and citizens—even the elders and nobles—were swept up in the fervor, roaring in righteous anger.
This earth-shaking tide of fury seemed to make even the rampaging Bull of Heaven hesitate in fear.
"Demons, evil—eep!"
Even Göll, caught up in the moment, hastily covered her mouth.
This...this was terrifying. Was this the overwhelming presence of Gilgamesh as a king? She couldn't help but be swept along by it.
At this time, the people of Sumer held deep reverence for the gods.
Yet now, looking around, most no longer held any awe for the divine.
How had they been brainwashed to this extent?
"Sister Brunhilde, how will King Gilgamesh defeat the Bull of Heaven?"
Though the current Bull of Heaven didn't seem to be at full strength—its power was somewhat restricted, likely to prevent excessive destruction that might alert gods from other pantheons.
But even at this level, it was beyond the ability of people in this era to kill.
"You ask me, but who should I ask? Just keep watching and we'll find out."
Brunhilde was also extremely curious about how Gilgamesh would pull it off.
Then, Gilgamesh whispered something to a few of his guards, who immediately ran back toward the temple.
These men seemed to have been given prior instructions by Gilgamesh to prepare something—now, they were making the final arrangements.
As for what exactly they had prepared, Brunhilde didn't know, because they hadn't been observing every moment since the goddess appeared. Instead, they were jumping through time.
It was like watching a movie while skipping scenes by dragging the progress bar, so some details were inevitably missed.
Hmm? He was evacuating the residents near the temple? Nearly half the city had been cleared out.
A massive door beneath the pyramid-like temple also swung open, revealing a sturdy storage room that could sometimes serve as a shelter.
Was he having the people take refuge there?
Of course not—if that were the case, he wouldn't have ordered them to stay away from the temple.
Then… was he planning to lure the Bull of Heaven inside and trap it?
Even if the walls were thicker than the city's fortifications, they wouldn't hold for long before being smashed through.
So, what level of force would be needed to severely wound or even kill the Bull of Heaven?
If they could generate enough power to reduce the massive pyramid-like temple to rubble, that might be enough to kill the Bull in its current state.
Hmm?
Wait—could it be—?!
Brunhilde's expression shifted to one of disbelief as she realized something!
Did this man actually understand that concept?